Sheep team
(Continued front Page D 6) brother-in-law designed the
' , wagon's running gear.
V F ‘ v ® a B°> Etzler ’ Etzler has a six sheep
worked with a team, and did (three teams) that are
teach them to pull a wagon, trained to pull the wagon and
The wagon and harnesses a team that is just learning
are all custom made, to pull at two-years old. The
Besides raising sheep for 22 lead teami featuring
years, Etzler works for a “Margie” and “Patty” are
manufacturing corporation the or i gina i team and the
which specializes in heavy mo st important,
cargo-containing equipment. “These two ewes are five
Etzler persuaded the years old and Weigh about
business to make his 175 pounds each/' Etzler
harnesses and made the explained. “The wheel team
wagon bed, while his jg important too, as they
Read Steel Products announces an
Inventory Clearance of a selected
number of discontinued model Farm
Grain Bins. During this special sale,
Read Farm Grain Bins are available to
you at substantial savings. New model
bins will soon be available through
authorized Read Dealers at regular
prices, so don’t miss this opportunity
to save on bins currently in stock.
You can buy a Read Grain Storage
system at special prices direct from
our factory warehouse at Gamer, North
Carolina. Call Barry Hoke, your Read
Division Sales Manager COLLECT at
(717) 685-2009 for Read’s Special Offer!
HURRY —BOy now while supplies last!
ATTENTION
AREA
FARMERS!
control the wagon. The
wheel team consists of
“Debbie” and “Manan”,
four year old twins,”
The swing-, team features
Jacqueline and Jenifer who
are three years old. The
spare team, two years olds,
also make up the eight team
hitch. The spare team
carries the f<miu> addition
as Deborah is the daughter
of Debbie who is in the wheel
team, and Tabitha is the
sister to Jacqueline, of the
swing team.
Etzler trains only females
to pull, starting them off
when a year old. “The ewes
look better when performing
and to date they have par
ticipated in more than 35
parades and six county
fairs.”
The team has also per
formed at the North
American International
Livestock Exposition in
Louisville, Kentucky for the
last two years.
Etzler breeds the ewes
each year, and their lambing
record has been quite good.
The lead team is not bred,
however, because Etzler
likes to always have them in
driving condition.
Etzler and his wife
Marilyn, who have three
children, live on an eight
acre farm, just outside of
Van Wert, Ohio, with a flock
of 31 Hampshire and Dorset
ewes. Their youngest son
Dan, is an active participant
of his family’s hobby, as he
helps with the teams and
does some of the driving
himself.
Marilyn enjoys working
with the sheep too.
“I help with the sheep -
but, I’m more of a behind the
scenes person,” she said.
“Sheep are very personable
animals. Our’s are a little
Pork producers ask revision
in food safety standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The government’s recent
reversal of its two year
campaign against nitrites
has led the National Pork
Producers Council to call for
a major overhaul of food
safety evaluation
procedures.
Testifying before the
House Agriculture Com
mittee Nitrite Review
Tuesday, NPPC President
Bill BuUer stated, “With tile
Nitnte-Newberne Study
controversy being put in
perspehve, it is imperative
that we deal with food safety
procedures. Errors as we
have just expenenced do not
spoiled, however, because
they don’t like to mingle with
the rest of the sheep when we
put them in the barn for the
winter.
“We enjoy travelling to
different areas of the
country and watching the
reactions of people who have
never seen sheep pulling a
wagon. The sheep are so
gentle that we allow people
to pet them when they are
not performing,” she said.
“We’re looking forward to
coming to Harrisburg Oc
tober 3-4 to help celebrate
Pennsylvania Livestock
Month, and to kick-off the
Keystone International
Livestock Exposition. We
hope that everyone will be
able to come and see the
team perform without any
use of bits in their mouths.
Even the Clydesdales can’t
do that.”
Read’s Authorized Dealers are fully
aware of this special warehouse offer.
They will be offering Read’s 1981
model Farm Grain Bin in the very,near
future!
Steel
Products
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 27,1980-D9
only cost industry, they cost
consumers. That’s bad
government that cannot be
condoned.”
The hearing was called to
review the Food and Drug
Administration’s and United
States Department of
Agriculture’s treatment of
nitrite. Nitrite is used in the
curing process to protect
consumers from food
poisoning. Nitrite -is
especially important to the
pork industry where 70% of
all* pork is cured, with a
value of $l3 billion.
On August 11, 1978, FDA
and USDA proposed a phase
out of nitrite based on a rat
study at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Two
years later, on August 19,
1980, the agencies announced
that the pivotal MIT study
had been proven wrong and
nitrites were not show to be
carcinogens. Since the an
nouncement, there has been
growing momentum among
Congressional leaders for
reform of food safety laws.
Calling the current system
“outdated” and incapable of
preventing mishap and
abuse, the pork producer
stressed, “now is the time to
mandate proper per
formance monitoring and
adequate review of results
before an investigator’s
tentative . conclusions are
publicized or used as the
basis for regulatory
initiative.”
“Congress should make
clear that food safety, like
transportation, en-
Agn Products for ,*gn Industry
RO. Box 7343-A Birmingham, Alabama 35253
(205)595-2181 ,
' RO. Box 325, 1308 Bobbit Drive,
Garner, North Carolina 27529 (919) 772-6130
vironmental or any other
kind of safety, is a matter of
reasonableness,” said
Buller, “the discovery of an
infinitesimal trace of a
suspected carcinogen should
begin rather than end the
regulatory inquiry.”
Although the government
retraction regarding nitrites
overcomes a major hurdle,
the National Pork Producers
Council has not closed the
door on the way agency
officials handled the nitrite
situation. The Council is
researching damages done
to product image and is
calling for government to
make every effort to remove
the cloud of suspicion left
hanging over the red meat
industry.
Buller said, “We have
communicated with
President Carter, Health
and Human Services
Secretary Patricia Harris,
and USDA Secretary Bob
Bergland asking that they
inform us of their plans to
repair damage done and
rebuild consumer confidence
m nitrite cured products. We
have not heard from them
yet.”
“Producers and con
sumers deserve an answer,”
concluded Buller.
JOIN
/II B
itl